New Zealander Melissa "Meshy"Holt, of Team RONA, won the Worthington Criterium today, the fourth race in the Wendy's International Sports Festival. Tina Mayolo-Pic, of Diet Rite and Laura Van Gilder of Trek/VW finished second and third respectively. Nicole Freedman, of RONA, finished fifth.

As Nicole Freedman picked up points in the mid-race sprint, Mayolo-Pic still leads Freedman by four points in General Classification. General Classification is determined by adding points earned in each of the races.

Today's race was a 45-km criterium, being 25 laps around a 1.75-km, uphill-downhill course. Five laps into the race, Meshy Holt attacked and quickly put 15 seconds between her and the peloton. Then Laura Van Gilder and Kim Davidge (Saturn Timex) bridged to her. "Then the field started to catch up to us, recalled Holt after the race, and I had the impression that Laura and Kim were about to sit up and wait for them. So while they slowed down I accelerated.

And away she went. Her lead increased to about 25-30 seconds and she maintained it for the remainder of the race. "Two spectators standing on a corner gave me splits just about every lap, said Holt, so I could adjust my pace.

Holt easily won the mid-race sprint, Nicole Freedman (RONA) taking second and Emily Gloeckner (Veritas) third. And she crossed the finish line with a 30-second lead on the main field. The peloton settled their accounts with a mass sprint. Mayolo-Pic, Laura Van Gilder, Emily Gloeckner and Nicole Freedman crossed the line in that order.

"This is a tough course, said Holt about the Worthington Criterium. You have to go hard up the hill, but you have to go hard down the hill as well if you want to stay away, so there is absolutely no space for recuperation. I don't know which word applies to me now, she joked, exhausted or excited!

Probably both.

Tomorrow, the riders will compete in the Easton Town Center Criterium, a 48-km race.